Meet Stephanie Shirley

At the age of 23, Stephanie Shirley had just wrapped up a whirlwind experience working fulltime on Tom Corbett’s first campaign for Governor, her first career experience fresh out of college. Her next step was into a job with the Corbett Administration, working in legislative affairs in the Department of Health. On the surface, she appeared to be well set for a career in Pennsylvania politics. But there was one glaring problem. The consulting work Stephanie had been steadily growing since her senior year at Penn State University was gaining momentum and she found herself far more fulfilled by her Public Relations consulting than she was by government work. So she made a choice that was bound to be either the best, or worst, decision for her career. In July 2011, Stephanie took the entrepreneurial leap and quit her day job to follow her day dream of starting her own Public Relations consulting business.

Professional Accomplishments

Now almost six years later, Bennis Public Relations (which is Stephanie’s maiden name and also the name of her youngest son) is thriving – and just beginning to tap into its potential. Stephanie has worked with hundreds of clients across the nation serving as their strategic partner who creates innovative and effective communication solutions to help grow a powerful and consistent brand. Her unique set of skills can be endlessly molded to just about every industry you can imagine. Some of her clients include a worldwide non-profit where she was responsible for organizing their annual conferences in Los Angeles, Seattle, Houston and New York. She has helped businesses navigate the challenging internal and external communications of brand transition after an acquisition. Stephanie is also frequently called upon to share her expertise in crisis communication, with one particular client hiring her to present a 3-hour seminar to all of their superintendents in a four-county radius.

Most recently, Stephanie has forged “power-partnerships” with other Central Pennsylvania firms who wish to offer her skills and expertise to their clients. She is the strategic communications arm of Milliron Goodman Government Relations, and she is the Public Relations arm of Mid-Atlantic Media Hub (advertising agency). She frequently joins forces with Perry Media Group to go after government RFPs worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Bennis Inc’s corporate profits are quickly approaching $1 million.

Leadership

From the day she took the entrepreneurial leap until now, Stephanie has been the sole driver behind the success of Bennis Public Relations. She is a decisive and confident leader who is truly self-made. Not only has she had to break through multiple glass ceilings, proving age and gender to be no limitation to her talents, she has successfully grown her business while raising two young children, the majority of time from her home. Additionally, Stephanie has demonstrated leadership in her ability to manage multiple client accounts, meeting their diverse needs and quickly troubleshooting issues as soon as they arise. Currently (as of May 2017) Stephanie solely manages a portfolio of 22 active client accounts, and growing.

Vision

Stephanie has built a business model that disrupts the common, and all too often ineffective, relationship between public relations firms and businesses. Though she believes the value of quality public relations is invaluable to a business, Stephanie has built Bennis Inc on the foundation of fair and flexible pricing. She works intimately with each and every client, delivering customized solutions while eliminating the rigid policies and large overhead often associated with hiring a PR firm. Stephanie is passionate about helping businesses experience the benefit of high-quality, consistent communication, no matter their size or industry. Her vision is to give businesses the tools and confidence they need to take the wheel and be an active participant in implementing their own PR strategy – because the greatest results come from businesses who are fully engaged.

Outside of her professional career, Stephanie holds one more title that she is proud to claim, and that is the title of “mom” to her two sons Holden (4 years) and Bennis (1 year). She works hard to maintain a work-life balance that allows her to be present at their many milestone moments, while leading by example that with hard work and dedication, every goal is within reach.

59 thoughts on “Meet Stephanie Shirley”

Nice to “meet” you Stephanie! I noticed you when you commented on my blog and I checked out yours. I think it is GREAT that you took such a courageous leap and I wish you all the best in your new career. I think many of us wish we had the chutzpah to do what you’ve done! You’re an inspiration. I look forward to keeping up with you via this blog. 🙂

Thanks for commenting on my blog today–it brought me to yours, which I LOVE!! I lovelovelove that you took the leap to start your own business and are finding the courage every day to plow forward! I wish you all the best, and I will continue to read your blog. I’ve recently discovered that I have an entrepreneurial spirit, and I’m eager to see where it leads me in the next couple of years. Thanks for your posts!!

Hi Stephanie,
Wonderful and thoughtful article especially with the cat’s cute napping picture. Right when I was browsing through your article, my pet cat was sitting on my lap. How the world is small ! Recently myself and my husband Vasanth were in Harrisburg to be with my bro-in-law Dr. Jayanth Devasundaram (people call him Jay) working in Govt. Health dept. in PA state, By the way I am an engineer, HR consultant and social activist in India. I visited US for an International conference in New Orleans. All the best. We shall catch up again…Regds…Nimmu

what a great blog, found it via freshly pressed and have found all sorts of interesting stuff to read! I’ve gone from working for someone else to being self employed with my own company in the last six months so its been especially useful to read your thoughts and advice on keeping a routine!

Very inspiring, especially for someone close to my age bracket. Taking a leap of faith to continue towards ambitions in life requires dedication and tough skin, especially as a recent graduate like myself. Your paving the way for young professionals! Thank you!

Hey Stephanie! Thanks for posting on my blog, I love the ideas I’ve seen on your site so far and will definitely be following you. I’m majoring in media and journalism in school, so I love to see other grads making it in the real world! Great work and best of luck!

hullo Stephanie! thanks for commenting on my blog the other day. As someone fresh out of college, I am trying to figure out how life really works and going through your posts have been definitely enlightening. Wish you luck for all your future endeavors.

Hi Stephanie,
I enjoyed reading your latest blog about skydiving and a leap of courage. Thank you again for the comment you made on my blog. I look forward to reading more of yours.
Peace & Blessings
Deirdre

Thanks for visiting my blog and hitting the like button. You have a very polished and professional style. There’s no doubt your success will grow. After reading your blog about skydiving, I thought it was really your second jump; the first was starting your own business. You’re very good at landing on your feet. : )

What a creative way to look at my “daring jumps”–I hadn’t thought of it like that. Now you have me thinking which one I would consider more reckless and scary. I think they each have their own challenges and rewards in the end….I suppose I just need to keep an eye on landing safely!

I am wondering if you know anything about R.O.W.E (results only work environment)? If you know where I could get more information, I would appreciate it! I have already contacted Culture Rx. Please let me know if you have any other sources or suggestions! I would really appreciate it!

You’ve actually just opened my eyes to ROWE. It’s almost exactly what I created for myself by opening my own business—just without knowing it! It’s definitely something I’ll look into if and when I’m ready to start hiring help for Bennis Inc.

I checked out their web site: gorowe.com which seems to provide some good information. I think reaching out to them directly is the best method. Good luck!

Thanks for visiting my blog and hitting the like button. You come across very professional and with impeccable style. It’s wonderful to see young women your age with such an inspiring entrepreneurial spirit. Keep it up and and let’s continue supporting each other. All the best!

Hi Stephanie, thanks for stopping by The Order Expert Blog and for your comment and like on my post “Top 10 List: Ten Productivity Truths.” It looks like we have a lot in common…public relations, blogging…looking forward to reading more of your work. Just subscribed! Regards, Rashelle

Great blog Stephanie. Thanks for swinging by my newest blog earlier thus leading me to find yours.
Hope you do not mind if I share yours. I speak quite a bit to graduating college grads about being entrepreneurial instead of working for others and your site and story tell this well.

Hi Joseph – I would be honored for you to share my blog and my own experience with entrepreneurship with your college entrepreneurs, especially if it can help them to find their courage and reduce their hesitation about getting out there and doing something great! Thanks for the comment.

Thanks for “liking” my blog post today! Thought I would check your blog out. It’s very nice! I really admire your spunk. I have a deep respect for anyone who chooses to take the entrepreneurial route as opposed to working for someone else. Keep up the good work!

Thanks for posting on my blog. I must say of vibrancy, and brilliance I found at your site. Congratulations! I’m loving this. Great insights, and words of wisdom. I can’t wait to invite my friends to your blog. You are a great inspiration.

Believe it or not, I don’t have my own personal Twitter handle! Because of maintaining so many social media accounts for my clients, I get my fill of Twitter here. Maybe some day I’ll give in, but as you can see by some of my lengthy blogs, keeping it to 140 characters or less will be challenging for me 😉

Thank you so much for your feedback! I am glad that you enjoy my blog and find it useful. My background is also in politics and I personally see a lot of overlap with PR. It’s all about serving our “publics” and communicating our core message.